A computing device may include or be coupled to a user input device (such as a computer mouse or pointing device) that enables a user to interact with the computing device, such as by controlling a cursor on a computer display. Occasionally, the user may be unable to locate the cursor on a particular display with one or more windows open, or on one display among multiple displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,430 “High Density Cursor System and Method” by Baudisch et al. teaches an enhanced appearance for a mouse cursor when the cursor moves in a linear direction at a speed that exceeds a predetermined threshold speed. When compared with an initial mouse cursor, the enhanced mouse cursor reflects an immediate increase in size based on the velocity of the movement and further includes a motion-blur effect along an interpolated cursor path to highlight the movement thereby allowing a user to track the movement of the cursor across the screen.
In some situations, a user may be visually distracted by graphical or textual features on the computer display, the sheer size and expanse of multiple displays may provide a large region, or the user may be visually impaired making cursor location difficult. Further, the user may be operating in a particular lighting environment that makes cursor location difficult, or the user may have a visual impairment or disability. Since it is usually easier to see a moving object than a non-moving object of the same size, type, and color, the user may attempt to locate the cursor by moving the pointing device to generate movement of the cursor across the display. Some applications also impose their own cursor constraints, where the cursor may change based on an editing mode, for example, where the editing mode cursor is smaller than the regular cursor. Because of these difficulties and others, these efforts may not always be sufficient to enable the user to quickly locate the cursor on a computer display.